Renowned hotelier Ken McCulloch wins Very Special Achievement

by XPRESS, 10 April 2018

Ken McCulloch was born in Glasgow, the youngest son of impresario Archie McCulloch and singer Kathie Kay, and brother to Stewart and Donald. Leaving school at 16, his start in the industry came as a trainee chef in the kitchens of British Transport Hotels in Scotland.

These included Gleneagles, the North British (now The Balmoral) and the Central Hotel’s renowned Malmaison restaurant; the latter would present a “eureka” moment for McCulloch some 30 years later when he secured the famous Malmaison name for £100.

At the age of 27 he opened Glasgow's first wine bar, La Bonne Auberge.

Against the odds, it became a success and McCulloch went on to launch Charlie Parker’s and The Granary.

During this era, he was also responsible for transforming two of the city’s most enduring statements of style; The Buttery and Rogano.

Ken McCulloch’s reputation as a hotelier was made with One Devonshire Gardens, which he opened in 1986 as Scotland’s first boutique hotel.

A luxury bolt hole, the 5-star destination was favoured by celebrities such as Bob Dylan and Madonna and saw then-head chef Andrew Fairlie gain the first Michelin star for Glasgow in 1996.

One Devonshire Gardens was swiftly followed by McCulloch’s creation of the phenomenally successful Malmaison, the first new hotel brand for 30 years.

Chic, cosmopolitan and accessible to the discerning masses, Malmaison heralded a hotel revolution in Britain.

Daring to be different, Malmaison was a bold statement against mediocrity at the height of the nineties recession, with 15 unique locations including a converted church in Glasgow and the renowned conversion of Oxford prison.

Within two years of selling Malmaison, McCulloch had opened the 5-star Columbus Monte Carlo. Overlooking the Mediterranean, Columbus encapsulated the New Riviera spirit with its reassuringly glamorous and understated simplicity.

Now, in a long career – which spans 50 years and counting – Ken McCulloch has returned home.

It is from here in the city he is overseeing what is arguably his finest achievement of the last 5 decades, and most ambitious so far, the growth of Dakota.

Named after DC3, the first commercial airliner, Dakota is amplifying the luxury hotel experience with a signature that is synonymous with Ken McCulloch.

Breathtakingly bold statements at Eurocentral, South Queensferry, Glasgow city centre and Leeds defy convention.

Interiors seduce and thrill. Expectations are surpassed with dramatic effect.

One Devonshire Gardens was swiftly followed by McCulloch’s creation of the phenomenally successful Malmaison, the first new hotel brand for 30 years.

Chic, cosmopolitan and accessible to the discerning masses, Malmaison heralded a hotel revolution in Britain. Daring to be different, Malmaison was a bold statement against mediocrity at the height of the nineties recession, with 15 unique locations including a converted church in Glasgow and the renowned conversion of Oxford prison.

Article credit: EPInsights